A PGA National Junior event, sometime in the late 1980s. Young Tiger Woods emerges from the bathroom wearing thick Coke-bottle glasses. His roommate, Notah Begay, immediately dubs him “Urkel” after the Family Matters character. The skinny kid with allergies didn’t mind one bit. In fact, Begay made sure the entire Stanford team called him Urkel when Woods arrived as a freshman. The nickname stuck until Woods started defeating everyone every week. But here’s the thing: he loved it. He gravitated toward Begay’s playful ribbing. Decades later, that same pattern explains his unlikely bond with Justin Thomas.

“Tiger likes that, and I think that’s why he gravitates toward people who will give him a hard time,” Begay revealed to Trey Wingo on the podcast. “I think that’s really been a nice thing between him and Justin Thomas over the last 10 years, is JT will go at Tiger, will give him the business. And I think that’s what Tiger appreciates.” Then comes the deeper truth. Begay revealed something most people don’t grasp about the 15-time major champion.

“Tiger wants to be one of the guys. And it’s very hard for people in the golf community to treat him like one of the guys because they know that what he’s accomplished in his career is just so incredible.” Now, this is where Justin Thomas comes in.

The two-time major champion doesn’t tiptoe around Woods’s legendary status. Instead, he actively pushes back against it. When Thomas first asked Woods for advice after playing a tournament round together, Woods immediately told him something brutally honest. “You don’t have nearly enough shots,” Woods said. Their banter is legendary.

Woods once gifted Thomas a tampon during the 2023 Genesis Invitational after outdriving him. In 2020, when Thomas tried to needle Woods by FaceTiming him from the Tour Championship, Woods pretended his phone cut out. Then he called back, wearing his Master’s green jacket.

Golf creates a lonely, isolated life amid intense rivalries. Research presented at the British Sociological Association’s annual conference found that professional golfers avoid confiding in other players at all costs. One golfer told researchers bluntly about sharing personal struggles on Tour: “One thing is, no one’s going to care. The majority of people whom you tell your woes, half of them will be happy, and the other half don’t care.”

Smylie Kaufman, a longtime friend of JT, observed that forming such a relationship with Tiger isn’t easy. He believes Tiger has to see either greatness or just a little bit of himself in someone. That’s exactly what makes the Tiger-JT dynamic so rare in Tour culture. Surprisingly, Thomas isn’t the first person to crack Tiger’s inner circle by treating him like anyone else. Tiger has consistently chosen friends who refuse to worship him.

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Tiger Woods’ history shows a pattern of  friendships built on authenticity

Notah Begay established the “Urkel” dynamic during their time at Stanford. Their friendship survived into the professional ranks. Begay became one of Tiger’s closest confidants during his early dominance years. Earl Woods made sure Notah had access to courses and dinners. The two became something special.

“We became almost like pseudo brothers,” Begay recalled.

Mark O’Meara took a different approach. The veteran-rookie friendship bucked Tour convention in the mid-1990s. O’Meara mentored Tiger, challenged him, and kept him grounded. The week before the 1997 Masters, Woods shot 59 at Isleworth while playing with O’Meara. On the plane to Augusta, Woods asked about winning the Grand Slam. O’Meara replied honestly: “Unrealistic.” Woods fired back with his characteristic confidence: “I think it’s possible.”

Even Steve Williams demonstrated the pattern. The caddie wasn’t afraid to be direct with Tiger. Williams recounted confronting Woods about his negativity at the 2003 Masters. He challenged him to improve his behaviour: a pivotal moment that showcased Williams’ willingness to offer honest feedback.

These relationships reveal a universal human desire beneath Tiger’s iconic achievements. He wants acceptance for who he is, not what he’s accomplished. As Tiger navigates this latest chapter post-surgery, having friends like JT who keep him grounded might matter more than any comeback storyline.